Revenge porn site operator who charged victims to remove explicit pictures is jailed for 18 years
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Version 0 of 1. A US man who operated revenge porn sites that charged victims to remove their private pictures has been jailed for 18 years. Kevin Bollaert ran two websites allowing users to anonymously post intimate or explicit images mostly of women without their permission. One of the websites also required users to post the victim’s personal information, including their name, address, Facebook profile and the option to include their contact number. The 29-year-old, from San Diego, in California, reportedly charged people up to $350 (£234) to remove their images. More than 10,000 compromising images were uploaded onto one site, UGotPosted, and prosecutors said Bollaert earned about $30,000 (£20,000) from people who paid him to remove the images, according to the Associated Press. The pictures often showed the former lovers of disgruntled ex-partners and led to victims losing their jobs and relationships. They are also believed to have contributed to one attempted suicide. Bollaert was found guilty by the San Diego Superior Court in February of identity theft, extortion and 25 other counts. The court heard from one victim how nude pictures of her on the site continue to have an impact on her life. “It ruined my life and I’m still going through it,” she said. “I lost my family. They think that I brought shame on them. My reputation is ruined.” |